For first time mothers, caring for a newborn can be a nerve wracking experience. With the baby being so small and frail, she is almost afraid to touch the infant for fear of hurting the baby. There is also a lot of things a new mother has to know when it comes to taking care of her baby like the correct way of burping the baby, the proper bathing, and the right way of laying the baby down to sleep.

Breaking Old Wives' Tales

If you were to listen to myths or traditions about how to set a baby down to bed you would be told to put the baby to sleep on his stomach. This may have been true many years ago when it was believed that babies have the tendency to drown on vomit or spit ups if they slept on their backs. However, since the early 90s, the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) have been advocating that babies be placed on their backs when they sleep.

The new recommendation was made due to the prevalence of SIDS or the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Also called crib death or cot death elsewhere in the world, SIDS accounts for 2500 to 3000 infant deaths per year in the US alone.

The Back to Sleep Campaign is one of the information campaigns launched to spread awareness about preventing SIDS. According to experts, babies who slept on their stomachs became more prone to SIDS as they have a tendency to re- inhale carbon dioxide which they have already expelled. Being unable to move their heads sideways to be able to breathe more oxygen may also add to the high infant mortality. The danger of SIDS hitting is highest when infants are 4 months old, since at this age they are still unable to roll over by themselves.

The drum for support and education on the possible causes of SIDS through the Back to Sleep campaign has brought about overwhelming results. Today, many mothers are putting their babies back to sleep. You should too.